Port Na Craig ice cream dream

Summer plans mean ice treats

With dreams of long summer days approaching after months of rain the thoughts turn to sunshine and… ice cream!

That’s certainly the case at the Port Na Craig Inn and Restaurant in Pitlochry.

Those who remember the old ice cream shop adjacent to Ferryman’s Cottage will be pleased with the restaurant owners’ plans to diversify the business.

Dependent upon a green light from planning officials, an ice cream and merchandise garden room structure will be added to the footprint at the B-listed building within the historic Port Na Craig hamlet.

The long-standing owners hope to erect the non-permanent timber structure on land in front of the existing car park to sell ice cream and local produce and to keep visitors stocked up on everything required for changeable Scottish weather – umbrellas and suncream!

Increased summer footfall

As well as keeping visitors replenished, the building will improve the flow of customers inside the restaurant, with people queueing for ices inside tending to meet dining traffic.

Local workers will be employed in the building, if approved, and the owners believe the project is a sensitive way to cater for the increased volume of visitors they have seen down by the Tummel and its iconic Suspension Bridge in recent years.

“The proposed diversification of the business is intended to respond in a measured way to the increasing levels of footfall experienced within the hamlet in recent years.

“Improvements to the dam and fish ladder visitor centre together with the redevelopment of Pitlochry Festival Theatre have contributed to a noticeable increase in visitor numbers.”

Fern Cottage bar hopes

Elsewhere in Pitlochry, Fern Cottage Restaurant owners hope to build a new side access and door to open its upper floor into a bar for pre and post-meal drinks.

The owners of the restaurant, which serves locally sourced food with a Mediterranean twist, have told customers they are ‘creating something special and investing in the future’ of their space, with ‘fresh energy, new experiences, and even more reasons to visit and enjoy.’